William Sprague III

William Sprague III (3 November 1799-19 October 1856) was a member of the US House of Representatives from Rhode Island's at-large district (W) from 4 March 1835 to 4 March 1837 (succeeding Tristam Burges and preceding Robert B. Cranston), Governor from 2 May 1838 to 2 May 1839 (succeeding John B. Francis and preceding Samuel Ward King), and a US Senator from 18 February 1842 to 17 January 1844 (succeeding Nathan F. Dixon I and preceding John Brown Francis).

Biography
William Sprague was born in Cranston, Rhode Island in 1799, and he engaged in mercantile pursuits before serving in the State House, serving as Speaker from 1832 to 1835 at the head of a coalition of Anti-Masons and Democrats. In 1834, he was elected to the US House of Representatives, serving from 1835 to 1837; he then served as Governor from 1838 to 1839 and in the US Senate from 1842 to 1844. He returned his cotton and railroad businesses after leaving the Senate, and he died in 1856.